William Hale is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Political and International Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and a former Professor with a specialty reference in Turkish politics. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Turkish politics, including The Political and Economic Development of Modern Turkey (1981) and Islamism, Democracy and Liberalism, The Case of the AKP (co-authored with Ergun Özbudun, 2011).